Caption

Zika virus vaccine research. Researcher pipetting samples while researching a vaccine for the Zika virus. The Zika virus causes zika fever. It is transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected mosquito. In 2015 a previously unknown connection between Zika infection in pregnant women and microcephaly (small head) in newborns was reported. This research is being carried out in the USA at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Vaccine Research Center (VRC). Clinical trials of the NIAID Zika virus investigational DNA vaccine began in August 2016. Photographed in April 2016.